Kill Her Twice

by G A Pickstock

  Mark was about to answer when the doorbell rang.

  “Now who the hell could this be?’ Jim went to answer the door. His stomach flipped at the sight of Emily and a young man standing on his step. A nervous smile formed on his face.

  * * *

  “Emily! This is getting to be a habit, what can I do for you now?” Jim asked as he gave Colm the once over. “This isn’t about that purse, is it? I told you everything I know already.”

  “Mr. Roberts?” Colm flashed his badge at the large man standing in the doorway. “I’m Detective Sergeant Colm O’Byrne, Clarksville OPP. May we come in?”

  “Well, uhm, it’s not a good time, I have company, what’s this all about?” He looked behind him into the living room and then back at the couple standing on his step.

  “Yes sir, I understand you’ve company, and if I’m correct, it’s Mark Taylor you’ve in there with you. It’s him I’ll be needing to speak to as well. This won’t take too long, but well, if you’d rather, I guess we could do this in a more formal settin’, say at the detachment office. I still need to speak to Mr. Taylor. I’ve some important news for him. So if you don’t mind, it’d be best if I deliver it in private.” He took a step forward to hasten the inevitable.

  Jim blocked Colm’s attempt to enter.

  “If you need to talk to Mark, then I’ll get him for you. But as I said, it isn’t the most convenient time, so we will have to do this later.”

  Put off by Jim’s demeanor, Colm took a step back. “Yes, well, that’s fine, ask Mark to come out here. If you don’t mind.” Colm and Emily stood on the step, waiting for Mark to appear. Once again, the door opened, and Mark stepped out and closed it behind him.

  “What can I do for you, Detective? I told you I have nothing more to say without my lawyer present, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my friends.”

  “Mr. Taylor, I’m afraid I’ve bad news for you. I’m sorry to have to tell you, but Staff Sergeant Clifford, your cousin, was killed earlier today.”

  Mark’s silence confused Colm for a moment. It wasn’t the reaction he expected.

  “You already know. Don’t you? How?”

  Mark snapped back into the moment. “No, not at all, Detective. But I did suspect that something was wrong. My wife called the hospital inquiring about a woman who was found dead at All-Comm. She also learned that a policeman had also been killed. I tried to call Dan earlier. All I got was a voicemail. When I called the detachment office, they referred me to the Regional Commander. I knew something bad had happened.”

  “Still, Mr. Taylor, you’re not acting like a man who just lost a family member. It’s makin’ me wonder what’s in your head. Why now would you be calling him? What was so important that you needed to call the detachment for him? Could you not leave him a message?”

  Colm’s eyes bored into Mark’s, causing him to blink and look away. He sensed he had him on the ropes. He pushed a little harder, hoping to make him break.

  “You know, Mr. Taylor, it’s interesting that I find you over here so soon after we met at your house. I don’t know who else is inside, but I’m willing to guess your wife is in there. Why would she be wantin’ to know about a death at All-Comm? All of you have a connection to Kallita Prewitt, and I intend to find out what’s going on. In any event, your little meeting is over; I’m taking Mr. Roberts in for questioning.”

  Mark’s eyes darted from side to side. Colm could almost read the man’s mind. He was trying to fathom what was happening. Dan was dead, and Colm’s pushing the issue was making him nervous.

  “You had better come inside. There’s no need to take Jim to the detachment. We can tell you what you need to know.”

  * * *

  There was no place to sit in the crowded living room. Colm and Emily stood in the archway, surprised to see that Audri was also present in the room.

  “Audri, you’re part of this as well?” Emily glanced around the room. Mark and Mary sat on the couch, and Jim sat beside Audri on his ottoman. Audri still had the blanket draped over her knees. “You cold, Audri? It’s a gorgeous warm day outside. It is a bit gloomy in here, though, I have to admit.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Audri responded.

  “Why what’s going on here?” Emily took the lead. Colm stood to the side, observing the room’s occupants. “I know from the conversations I’ve had with some of you that everyone here has a reason to want Kallita out of the way. Yet, you all declare innocence. Yet, it looks like all of you have something to hide. So what is it? What is so important that you feel the need to meet, and why would you care about the murder of Frieda Gerst and Dan Clifford?”

  Mark’s neck actually cracked as he spun his head around to face Emily. “Murdered! Dan and Frieda were murdered? You never said that.” He stared a Colm. “You said he’d been killed, but you never told me how.”

  “No, I didn’t, and you never asked. Did you now? You seemed to know about the deaths before we got here, and you never asked what happened. I find that very strange. But now that you’re askin’, I can tell you that the deaths of Frieda and Dan are a result of foul play, and we’re investigating them as homicides. Oh, and before you ask, Miss James here is acting as a special consultant on this case. Kallita Prewitt is still a missing person, and we've reopened the case because of all that has happened here.”

  “Are we suspects?’ Jim asked, “Do we need lawyers?”

  “I suspect everybody in this town. From what I’ve learnt about Kallita Prewitt, I doubt I could find two people who didn’t hate her. What you have to say here in this room, however, will determine how we have to treat you from here on out. I warn you, we will get to the bottom of this. If you are hiding anything, we will find out, and it won't go well for you. Judging by this wee get-together, I’m thinkin’ there’s a conspiracy going on.”

  Colm’s words hung in the air like a fog. Looking at each other, they agreed it was time. Mark finally broke the silence.

  “Before you arrived, I was about to tell everyone what I believe happened to Kallita. It’s true. We all had or have reason to hate her. I guess me more than most. She made my life miserable, but I was able to get her away from me. Still, when she attacked Mary and screwed up her job. It pissed me off. You know all this. What you don’t know and what everyone else doesn’t know is that Alan Prewitt asked me to help him make her go away.”

  Chapter 24

  Kallita drove behind the convenience store and parked well away from the concrete structure. Three green dumpsters stood in the corner of the lot. They butted up against a chain-link fence that ran along an alleyway that ran behind the condominiums. A small opening between two posts allowed access into the alley. Used to allow passage for the lawn maintenance people to access the back yards of the condos, the space between the chain-link fence and the rear wooden privacy fences created a secluded pathway for Kallita to approach unseen into any of the condos. Recalling the various times she had scurried up the alley to Freddy’s for a quick bit of mid-morning fun, she smiled at the thought that Roy never knew. Even if he had known, she didn’t consider him man enough to do anything about it. Now the alley served her purpose for more essential matters. Counting the gates on the wooden fences, she stopped at the one that should, by her calculation, be number 51. Pulling the latch release cord, she chuckled as the gate swung inward. Everyone leaves the gates unlocked for the lawn guys, lazy bunch of bastards. She moved to the patio door and peered inside.

  Kallita could see the flickering light of the TV set in the living room. The clutter all about the table and on the floors made it hard to see much more than that. She thought she could see a figure sitting in a chair. She tried the door. Locked, damn it! Looking for a tool to prise the door, she spied an old barbecue brush lying on the table. It had a metal scraper on the end. Kallita positioned the brush under the door at the base of the track and levered on the wooden handle. The door raised up a little, and she jiggled the latch. It came free, and the do
or slid open an inch. OK, no noise. Now, if I can only slide this open a bit wider… there that’s it!

  She was in. Creeping from the kitchen to the living room, Kallita saw a man watching TV. A walker stood at the ready beside the chair. Gord never stirred. Could it be this easy? My God, these people have no clue. She shook her head as she moved forward. On rubbery legs, Kallita’s heart throbbed as she reached into her pocket. Her sweaty fingers fumbled with the syringe. As it fell to the floor, she bent to pick it up, and as she stood she came face to chest with Gord Seavers.

  * * *

  All eyes riveted on Mark as he spoke. “You might want to make yourself comfortable. Jim, why don’t you get these people a couple of chairs? What I have to say might take a while.” Jim nodded and retrieved a couple of chairs from the kitchen.

  Mark continued, “You know about the so-called party at the bar.” Colm nodded. “Well, that was all set up to confront Roy. An intervention of sorts. I had to make him understand what kind of witch Kallita was, and get him thinking about dumping her. It was a long shot, but Alan seemed desperate. We had talked about it for weeks at work, but on the day, it all went pear-shaped. Roy got mad and stormed out. Not long after, Alan called me at home. He wanted to know if Mary knew of any kind of drug or poison that was hard to trace. I told him he was nuts if he thought I was going to have anything to do with killing that bitch. No way I’d risk jail for that cow. Especially since she was out of my life once and for all. I was pissed that he’d even asked, and he knew it. What I didn’t know was that a week later, he bumped into Mary at Roy’s diner, and they had coffee together. He was a little more subtle this time, and well—she can tell you better.” He turned to his wife. “Do you want to tell them?”

  Mary took a large gulp of her coffee and grimaced. “Cold! Arg, that’s disgusting!” She almost gagged. “Now that I think about it — yuck, that’s nasty! Alan’s bumping into me that day was no accident. It’s all clear to me now. Funny how I never put any of it together. We were at different tables, but he was next to mine, so he asked if he could join me. We talked about a lot of things. He told me he had a German Shepherd that was full of arthritis. He said the poor thing couldn’t walk anymore, and that he was going to have to put him down. The vet wanted a lot of money to do it, and he didn’t have the spare cash. We left it at that for a few minutes, but the conversation got back around to his dog again. That’s when he asked me if I knew about any kind of drug that might help ease the dog’s pain, and help him to go to sleep. It was all so innocent, and I felt sorry for him and the dog. I mentioned a drug we used in the hospital to sedate patients before they undergo intubation procedures. It relaxes all the muscles, and if the dosage is high enough — well — it can kill you. He asked me if I could get him some. I told him no. But he pushed it again later in our conversation. I told him it was all locked up in a cabinet that I couldn’t access. If any went missing, there would be an investigation. He finally let it drop. We finished our coffees and went our separate ways.”

  “You see!” Mark jumped back in. “When Kallita disappeared, I wondered if he was behind it. I figured he got hold of that drug and did her in. I never told anyone. I was happy she was gone, and I wasn’t going to help get her back. What no one knew was that whatever it was that happened, it didn’t work. Dan told me he found her. And before you showed up, we learnt that Audri’s husband had Kallita’s purse in his possession. We think he buried it in your garden Emily, but Audri—”

  “NO WAY! You’re not going to pin this on my Gordon. I told you he handed that purse in and got a receipt.”

  Emily’s brain was in overload. Thoughts swirled around as if in a windstorm. “Are you telling us that Kallita is alive? Staff Sergeant Clifford found her and did nothing about it?”

  Mark nodded. Emily and Colm sat mesmerized by Mark’s account of Dan’s confession to him.

  “So she’s alive, but she doesn’t know who she is or what happened to her. And where is she now?” Colm couldn’t believe what he’d been hearing.

  “No one knows. She left the hospital, and the last time Dan checked on her, she had moved away. There was no trace of her. All we know is the nurses at the hospital named her Diane. She vanished—” Mark cracked a smile — “mission accomplished.”

  “It’s not funny.” Colm stood up, glowering at the four individuals in the room. “You lot colluded to hide the fact that you found a missing person. She was alive and well. I should arrest the lot of you, and I might just do that once I can figure out the charges. Where is this, Gordon fella. I need to talk to him right now!”

  Audri shook. Her whole body vibrated with the thoughts that Gord might be arrested. “He’s — at home — but he had nothing to do with any of this. I told you he handed that purse in.”

  “If he did, how did it wind up in Emily’s garden? No! I’ve got to see him, and right now! Where do you live?”

  Emily tugged at Colm’s sleeve. “It’s up the street. I’ll take you up.”

  * * *

  Gord Seavers sneered at Kallita. “What the hell! You’re supposed to be dead!” He swung a giant fist at her, striking her left cheek and knocking her to the floor in a heap. The syringe fell from her grasp and skittered across the floor, coming to rest under the table. Kallita lay motionless on the floor.

  Dazed, but conscious, she stayed down. Waiting for Gord to follow up and check on her. Eyes closed, she didn’t see him as he bent to retrieve the wayward syringe. One look at the needle was all he needed to know that Kallita was up to no good. He leaned over Kallita’s prone body and grasped her wrist to check for a pulse.

  Sensing her opportunity, Kallita spun onto her back and swung her right fist into Gord’s left temple knocking him sideways. Gord’s right knee hit the floor, driving a searing pain throughout his leg as bone on bone took all his weight. He tried to stand. His knee buckled under the mass of his two hundred and fifty-pound body, and he fell a second time. His left arm folded underneath him as he tried to break his fall. Gord’s shoulder crashed into the tilework. He slumped to the floor, unmoving. Kallita dragged herself to her feet. She searched for the syringe but couldn’t find it. When she heard the front doorknob rattle she took one last look at Gord’s motionless body and bolted.

  Safe, inside her car, every nerve in her body vibrated with the adrenaline surging through her. Leaving Gord Seavers alive was not in her plan. He needed to die. And she would see to it that the others would get what they all deserved.

  She checked the small leather bag on the seat beside her, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered how to finish what she’d started. Rubbing her left cheek, another thought popped into her mind. Her supply was dwindling. A higher priority needed her attention and she chided herself for not dealing with them first. Seavers would go to the police. She would have to act quickly.

  Kallita put the Buick in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. As she passed the corner, she looked up the street toward 51. A group of people were standing on the Seavers’ doorstep. Kallita stepped on the gas and pointed the car eastward out of town.

  Chapter 25

  Alan couldn’t rest. The knowledge that someone was looking for Kallita rattled him. It was a mystery no one wanted solving. Kallita was best left in the past, and if he could, he would see to it that’s exactly where she stayed. Too many people had reason to want her gone, and he knew it was a matter of time before the police would twig to his motive. Mark Taylor had told him to warn his brother of Kallita’s duplicitous nature. She could not be trusted. Mark believed she was sick in the head. The woman thrived on conflict and hostility. She loved to stir the pot and didn’t mind making herself the centre of attention to meet her need to cause disharmony among those around her.

  With all the furor over an old purse, it was evident to him that the chickens may indeed be coming home to roost. He needed to take action to mitigate his involvement. Alan grabbed his phone and called his brother.

  “Mikey, did that cop stop to see you?”r />
  “He did. Like you said, he was all over the Kallita thing. I told him I didn’t want to talk without our lawyer.”

  “Good! So you never said anything to him?

  “Well, er, I — nothing he didn’t already know. He told me more than I told him.”

  “Ah, shit! You talked to him, didn’t you? What did I tell you? What don’t you understand about not without our lawyer! Jesus, Mike, what did you say to him?’ Jesus, he’s told him too much.

  “Nothing, Al, honest. He already knew most of what I told him. He even knew about you and Mark Taylor.”

  I knew it!

  “Ah, Jesus! You didn’t, tell me you didn’t tell him I knew Mark. Please, no, not that.”

  “He already knew, honest. He asked me about Mark. All I said was that I thought you guys had been talking before we got to Benny’s and that I thought it was odd that he was there at the same time we were. What’s wrong with that?”

  “What’s wrong! What’s wrong? You silly bastard, he was fishin’! He didn’t know about Mark and me. He tripped you up. Lawyer, remember, friggin’ lawyer. There’s a reason I told you not to talk to him. Damn! We have to go see Roy. I’ll be at your place in fifteen minutes. Be ready.” He stabbed the end button and stormed out the door to his pickup truck.

  * * *

  Audri fumbled with the key to her deadbolt.

  “I keep telling him not to lock this thing. He knows it sticks. Shit! Here, you try it, I can’t make it turn.” She moved aside for Mark to try the lock.

  Mark fought with the stubborn lock, pulling on the door-handle and manipulating the key at the same time. Finally, it clicked, the door swung inward, and Colm and Emily stood back as the others entered the house.

  “Gord,” Audri called. “Gord, we have company. Where are you?” She walked through into the kitchen, dodging the many bags and boxes strewn about the floor.

  “The patio door is open, He must be outside. Gord.” She called again. Stepping past an unopened box containing a large screen TV, she froze. Her husband lay face down on the floor. “Gord! Oh God! No — No — No!”